Previous webinars

Our series of webinars was designed to help charity and not-for-profit organisations, big or small, understand where to start with complex problems. For example, you might have a data problem, but have no idea how to begin solving it, and what information you might need to give to an expert to help. These webinars will help to answer these kinds of questions by addressing the common themes that our analysts have faced whilst working with the charity sector.

We also explain how Pro Bono OR works and how operational research can help the third sector through post-COVID-19 recovery.

Charities we have worked with:

Strategic planning in uncertain times

Ruth Kaufman presents a session that explains how OR - the science of better decision making - can help organisations, decision-makers and planners move forward with confidence to set targets and outcomes, despite uncertainty.

Who is this webinar for?
Senior employees and trustees of a charity looking to set their strategies and plans or adapt them to deal with the changing world. This webinar would also suit managers needing to set targets when they are unsure of what is achievable.

Ruth Kaufman,OBE, FORS, FIMA, CSci

Ruth's professional experience includes OR, strategy and change management in a number of public sector organisations. She received an OBE for services to OR in 2016, and chairs the OR Society's Pro Bono Steering Group.

How to use simulation modelling to perform better

Tom Stephenson and Naoum Tsioptsias explain how Crimestoppers used discrete event simulation to become more efficient and effective with the help of The OR Society's Pro Bono OR scheme. The session will also discuss how other charities could make potential improvements to their own operations.

Who is this webinar for?
Charities with more than 20 staff/volunteers will be able to investigate how to make better use of available resources, by using modelling to improve processes and efficiency.

Tom Stephenson, Head of Simulation Excellence Team in Simul8

Over the past decade, Tom has overseen 100+ simulation projects across healthcare, contact centres, manufacturing and logistics.

Naoum Tsioptsias, Simulation Consultant

Naoum is a Simulation Consultant at Simul8 with a background in finance, informatics and Operational Research.

How to use modelling to improve efficiency and effectiveness 

Computer modelling is a way of representing how we think something works and is a way to understand the likely effect of change. Jane Parkin leads this webinar to explain how models can help improve areas such as logistics, planning and staffing.

Who is this webinar for?
This webinar is for charities that want to investigate ways of working better and will explain how computer modelling can be used to help with this.

Jane Parkin, Independent OR consultant at Carr House Consulting

Jane has a wide professional experience of modelling in the public, private and third sectors. Examples of her work with the third sector include helping to improve staffing at a call centre, the operations of a food bank, and the processes for a skills-based volunteering charity.

Measuring the impact of charitable investment

Jamie Douglas explains how Pro Bono OR volunteers conducted an impact evaluation for Bullion Community Resource Centre and how this work proved the social impact the centre had on the community, with this data then available to use for future funding bids.

Who is this webinar for?
Charities looking to understand the value of their charitable activities. You will understand how to do an impact evaluation and how to use data to measure social impact.

Jamie Douglas, Operational Research Analyst at the Department of Work and Pensions.

Jamie works on disability welfare policy, and has previously worked on digital service delivery, customer satisfaction surveys and benefit appeal processes.

Making sense of data - top tips to get you started

Many third sector organisations are nervous about delving into data collection and analysis. This session will cover some principles and tips for getting better insights out of the data you may already have and pointers to get you started on data collection, whether that's for impact measurement or improving operational performance.

Who is this webinar for?
This webinar will benefit anyone with an interest in or responsibility for impact measurement and reporting.

Ian Seath, independent consultant at Improvement Skills Consulting Ltd.

Ian's experience covers business strategy, performance improvement and change management. He is a member of the OR Society’s Pro Bono Steering Group and has experience of supporting Pro Bono projects across a wide range of charities including animal welfare, social care and international development.